Eagle Rock, Blob Rock, Bitty Buttress, and Security Risk will close Feb. 1, [2017] until July 31, [2017] for raptor nesting. Depending on updated information, the closure time can be shortened or lengthened.

Each year, Boulder Canyon raptor nesting area closures are in effect starting February 1st through July 31st at Eagle Rock, Security Risk, Blob Rock, and Bitty Buttress. However, the area is monitored and closures are periodically lifted early (due to no active nest, nest site failure, or early fledging). This monitoring program is a partnership with the Forest Service Boulder Ranger District, Boulder Climbing Community, and Audubon Society. Check back periodically during times of closure for updates. More info at fs.usda.gov/recmain/arp/recrea....

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

A worthy crag, Solaris lies just left of Avalon. The crag consists of four buttresses separated by steep gullies. The main walls face west and provide morning shade for hot-weather climbing, and afternoon sun for climbing in cooler weather.

There are over a dozen routes here, most of them developed by Richard Rossiter and various partners.

Most routes are fully bolted sport routes, and can be done with a 50m rope and a set of quickdraws. There are a few trad routes and a few that require some gear in addition to the bolts.

Solaris has routes on three levels: the Lower Tier, the Main Wall, and the Summit Tower. To get to the Lower Tier, continue up the talus about a hundred feet above the creek, then cut left and down along the base of the wall for several hundred feet.

To get to the Main Wall, continue up the talus and look for cairns. Cut L at the cairns and follow a trail along the base of the wall. The first route you'll see is Contact. The other routes lie several hundred feet farther left, past a gully.

At the cutoff to the Main Wall, you can head south (upstream) and find a path to the Tarot Wall area on Avalon.

Getting There

Approach #1: Park at the Practice Rock pullout on the right at 8.1 miles, opposite Bell Buttress and the route Cosmosis. Walk upstream 140 yards to the crag. If the water is low enough, you can wade or hop rocks across the creek right below Solaris. After crossing the creek, follow a path up to the right, around a short wall, to the edge of a talus field. From here, you can cut left to the Lower Tier, or continue up to the Main Wall.

Approach #2: If the water is too high to wade, you'll have to cross the creek via a tyrolean traverse. Unfortunately, the tyrolean traverse that used to be set up below Solaris is no longer present (as of 5/25/06), so the easiest tyrolean to use is the one below Avalon, another tenth of a mile up the canyon. You can park at a paved pullout on the right across from Avalon at 8.2 miles to shorten the walk to the Avalon tyrolean. Use the Avalon tyrolean, then hike up the talus angling left below the First Tier of Avalon. Continue up to the left side of Tarot Wall on the Second Tier of Avalon, and take a path north (downstream) toward Solaris. Go through a short wooded section, cross a talus field and within several hundred feet you'll arrive at a trail leading to the Main Wall of Solaris (look for cairns).

From the talus, scramble up to the left below a large Douglas fir that is visible from the road. Climb an obvious crack system in the upper south face for two pitches....[more]Browse More Classics in CO

The tyrolean traverse below Solaris wasn't present on Thursday 5/25/06 and the water was too high to wade.

We went a little farther up the canyon and used the Avalon tyrolean. After crossing the creek, hike up around the left side of Avalon's First Tier to the left side of Tarot Wall. Take a path to the left (north), through the woods and across some talus, to the Main Wall of Solaris.

As stated above in the route list, routes J, K, L, M are left of the gully separating the Main Wall from the blob that contains Q, N, O, P. I say this because, in D'Antonio's guidebook, J, K, L, M are erroneously shown to be to the right of the gully and beneath Q, N, O, P.

Trying to figure out what the lines closest to the river are. I thought we were on left and right line, but the pictures don't match. Two bolted lines about 50-60 feet to chains within 5 feet of the river. 10ft. of unprotected slab to either a pumpy arete' or to the right line. Pictures don't seem to match and both are within 5 or so feet of each other. We basically followed the river down from the Avalon tyrolean until we hit the wall and could go no farther. I "thought" this was the lower tier?

Lovely area, huge variety of climbs in great condition! It was pretty straightforward to find when approaching from Avalon, although it is easy to walk past the first few lines. Also, I found a sling at the base of a problem today. Shoot me a message with description/approximate location, and I'll try and get it back to you!